Jean Aziz, reporting from Damascus, describes an almost eerie normalcy and confidence in the Syrian capital, despite the sound of missiles in the distance. Syrian politicians and officials are quietly planning the nature and extent of political reform in Syria, in consultation, of course, with Moscow and Tehran. 

A Syrian official told Aziz, “We have gone beyond the stage of discussing the fate of the regime or tackling the regime members. Today, we are [in] a battle to define the regime’s form, its work mechanisms and its way of dealing with the Syrian people and with Syria [itself]. Some are speaking of a federation and a decentralized system, among other forms, like Kurds, Russians and even [President] Bashar al-Assad himself. This is what is being discussed today. The rest is behind us.”

Commenting on a reported Russian draft of a new Syrian Constitution, the Syrian official added, “We have made some comments on this draft. The pluralism mentioned therein is secured under the local administration law in Syria and is therefore constitutionally guaranteed. Therefore, there is no need for any [changes] in this regard.”

Iran is actively involved in the deliberations on political reform. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explained to Laura Rozen in an email on June 16, “I have said all along that there will be no solution if we focus on any individual, because it is a zero-sum question that will inevitably lead to stalemate and deadlock. … The answer is to focus on institutional dispersion of power and the future form of governance, through which you may be able to reduce or even eliminate the centrality of the role of any individual or ethnicity."